The Air-Car dropped Katelyn off at her district’s launcher; a teleporter that brought people to and from the many space stations in orbit around Earth. She checked her Mask, which disguised her as a Mearthian— half-Martian, half-Earthian— woman with a long, red braid.

Space stations were mostly hubs with apartments, bars, and AR classrooms, but some of them were the famously harsh prisons for Earthian and alien criminals— mostly the latter, since humans were usually sent to the on-planet prisons that weren’t as harsh. Since the stations were so close to each other, they were deemed dangerous, with some convicts escaping and attacking hub stations.

She plugged in her hacking chip, replacing the tracked route in the Air-Car with a fake one to the Museum of Art and Design. The vehicle was then teleported away to the storage unit. Hacking an Air-Car’s memory was child’s play. Yet another skill she kept hidden from her mother. It was how she’d managed to hide so much from her.

Well, that and being the middle child.

She entered the launcher and got into one of the spheres inside. “Traveler’s name?”

“Seema Crockett,” she said, using her fake ID.

“Welcome, Ms. Crockett. Please select one of your saved destinations, or enter a new one.”

She selected ‘Genesis X’ and leaned back for the launcher to activate. Her stomach dropped when the sphere zoomed into the sky, her body wracked with exciting chills. Clouds zipped past, then the blue sky changed to black, and the glowing rings of metal appeared, surrounding a glittering globe of silver.

The sphere gradually slowed until it reached the launcher nodes, connecting to the station. Katelyn exited, walking down the hall until she reached the atrium, which buzzed with busy movement and chatter. The Genesis X station was the oldest of all the stations and the closest to Earth. The prisons were the furthest, but the stations were close enough to serve as a bridge for escaped convicts. It was an issue the people had protested about for years, yet the authorities hadn’t changed any of the stations’ coordinates.

In the atrium, Katelyn noticed a significant increase of armed guards and SECURE bots from the last time she visited. Her answer appeared on one of the many holo-screens around her: ‘CAUTION: Escaped convict on the loose. Exercise vigilance.’

She went deeper into the station, entering the station Studitorium, and navigated to a blank wall. Using her fake ID number, she disabled the hologram and entered the hidden Cosmos bar.

She’d been working here for a year, but still carried that same anxiety and fear of her parents somehow finding out. She hadn’t even told her siblings. They’d keep her secret, but it would only be a matter of time before something slipped.

The thought brought her older sister back into her mind. She sighed at the thought of her suffering in that girls’ school, longing for a life she’d never achieve. Katelyn knew she still had the gift of fighting in her. She could see it. Those evaluators that rejected her all those years ago missed out on having a great fighter on their team.

“Medium Cosmic Fluke, please.” One of her regular customers, Scaaskal, sat at the counter, his shock of spiked, neon green hair blinding Katelyn, as always. Being an illegal bar, the AIDA wasn’t the most functional, hence Katelyn’s job as a bartender. She generated the drink for Scaaskal and watched for new customers. Busy hour was just starting.

“You look upset,” he observed.

“What? I’m not upset.”

He shrugged. “You look it.” He drank his Martian liquor. “Is it your sister again?”

Katelyn sighed and silently took another customer’s order.

“I figured. I’m sorry, Sati. But if your mom is how you say she is, you know your sister won’t even try to apply. You’re running a dead code.”

“It’s not fair. I know she’d do amazing in the tournament. She could make a name for herself and leave all of Mom’s followers behind. I watched her train for years and she was amazing— and she was a kid.”

“Sati, if she’s willing to give up so easily, she’s not the type. The Versus isn’t for quitters,” he said gently, using the Martian-Eseti word for ‘cat’. When she first met him, he had a stronger accent, so he would call her ‘Kat-lyn’ instead of Katelyn. “What do I always say? ‘Linli aben linlia’.” The phrase roughly translated to ‘Excel where you’re excellent’.

“Exactly. Ha linli ua Versus,” Katelyn responded. Her Eseti wasn’t the best, but she’d learned a lot from Scaaskal.

“But if she doesn’t pursue it, she won’t make it. It’s time to let it go.”

“It’s not that she’s given up, Scaaskal. I told you. She doesn’t have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice. She’s eighteen. Glitch whatever her mom or her grandparents say.”

Katelyn leaned on the counter, staring at her nails. They weren’t painted or pretty; they were bitten and uneven. She had a bad habit of chewing on her nails when she was anxious, and she never bothered to fix them, even though it would take only a second. If her mother paid attention, they’d be like Calista’s; perfectly shaped and perfectly painted in the preferred color scheme.

If Calista did follow her dream and get disowned by the family, the weight would fall on Katelyn’s head. And if Katelyn left like she planned, then it would be Quincy— he was a boy, but if he was the only one left…

Still, she couldn’t watch Calista suffer like this. It wasn’t fair. Maybe they could all follow their own paths. Maybe, once their mother lost all her followers, she’d realize what kind of life she was giving them. Maybe…

“Eabola Shock, light-” The customer’s voice glitched, switching to another language. He grunted, annoyed, and fiddled with the invisible translator chip on his cheek, resuming his order. “Sorry. Eabola Shock, light on the iyote.”

“That’s Paeseoan rum, correct?” Katelyn asked as she entered the order.

“Correct.”

As she generated the man’s drink, she stared at him, narrowing her eyes. There was something about him that looked familiar. He wore a cloak that concealed his face and a glitchy Mask, but there was something… distinct. Clearly, he was from planet Paeseo.

“Kat, could you give me another?” Scaaskal asked.

Katelyn kept her green eyes on the Paeseoan as she served Scaaskal his drink. He noticed, glancing at the other customer. “Katelyn, I know you’re single, but you could go for someone younger,” he joked.

She clicked her tongue and playfully smacked his forehead. “Shut up. Have you seen that guy before?”

“Mmm.” He sipped his drink, looking at the man. “Hard to tell with that Mask. It’s glitching, too.” As he spoke, the customer’s Mask glowed, casting a moving rainbow over the Paeseoan’s face. He grunted in response, smacking the Mask pin to fix it.

“I know him. There’s just something about him… I know this guy.”

“Ask him.”

“I don’t know… what if I’m wrong? That’ll be embarrassing.”

A yell interrupted them. A Hajjian burst into rage flames, shoving a Klausian harshly. The latter generated ice across his crystalline green skin, protecting himself from the flames.

“Ah, I always like seeing the ‘higher species’ fighting.” Scaaskal gulped down the rest of his drink, making air quotes. He brought out his Pet sphere and recorded the bar fight. Katelyn stood back, knowing better than to get in between two hot-tempered and powerful species.

The Hajjian recklessly blasted flames at the Klausian, who shielded himself with ice and quickly put out the fire forming around them. Katelyn was surprised at his selflessness; most ‘higher species’ like them or like Dnilians and Voraxians weren’t usually concerned about people around them.

The Klausian was suddenly thrown over the Hajjian’s shoulder, crashing onto the cloaked Paeseoan, who had remained in his seat, unbothered by the fight… until now, that is. The Paeseoan grunted, annoyed, and his defective Mask deactivated. Only then did Katelyn know exactly who he was. Luckily for him, most people were concentrated on the ongoing bar fight, missing the patron’s face.

“Oh, my…” Katelyn watched as the man hid his face under his cloak and started to leave. There was no mistaking him. She’d seen him enough times on the Versus News platform. “Stay here.” She vaulted over the counter, startling Scaaskal.

“Hey, wait, where are you-?”

“Excuse me! Sir! Wait! Uh- pae!” She stumbled after the man, who hurriedly entered the code to open the door and exit. She stopped him right as he stepped through the holographic shelf.

He exclaimed in his language, snatching his arm away. Katelyn ran ahead of him, stopping him. “Please! Just wait- pae. Uh… ki ennen Katelyn. I mean-” Glitch. She’d revealed herself. But someone in the Versus world wouldn’t have a clue who Jennifer Zyben was, surely. “Um… josi no…” She wasn’t even sure if this was the language this man spoke. There were hundreds of languages on Paeseo.

The man smacked his translator into working. “There. Girl, let me through. I need to-”

“You’re Benson Kalley!”

“Shh!” He looked behind him, paranoid. “Not so loud!”

“I’m sorry. I-I’m a huge fan. What are you doing-”

“Girl, I’m sorry, I do not have time to give you an autograph.” He brushed past her.

“No, that’s not it. Wait!” She ran after him, taking off her Mask to reveal her face.

“Would you stop making a fuss?!”

“Just hear me out. Please. I promise I won’t tell anyone if you hear me out.” She summoned her confidence and even flashed a smirk. At least she’d inherited something from the Zyben half. “I know you wouldn’t like anyone to know that the Vice President of Fistborn was at an illegal bar on Genesis X.”

Benson stopped, sighing. After a few moments, he groaned and returned to the bar entrance. The soundproof hologram kept the ongoing bar fight silent. “What do you want?” he asked Katelyn.

“Okay. So, my name is Katelyn Medley. My sister, Calista, has wanted to be a fighter for literally years, and she’s trained-”

“Miss, I cannot guarantee admission for any student. It is not only up to me.”

“I know, I just wanted you to see her. She’s a great fighter. She’s been struggling a lot, and she doesn’t think she can fight, but I know she can. I think… maybe if she heard it from someone like you, she’d feel… more capable.”

Benson cocked a brow. “If your sister does not believe in herself, how can she be a good fighter? Has she already given up?”

“Uh- n-no.”

He smiled. “I have a good cache detector, girl.” He tapped his head.

Katelyn blushed, embarrassed. “She didn’t give up, she just… I know she wants to be a fighter. She just hasn’t been encouraged enough. You see, our mom’s a Socializer, and she pressures Cali into doing… well, Socializer stuff. But I know she wants to be a fighter. She just needs a chance. If you saw her… and you told her she really has potential, I know she could get into Fistborn.”

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“Applications are open if she wants it. This is up to her.”

“The last time she applied, they didn’t accept her, even though she has amazing potential. You know it. You talk about it all the time; how higher species are always favored. And you even suggested blending Socializing and fighting together, and a lot of people were angry, but I support it! It’s a great idea.” Benson Kalley was very passionate about giving everyone a chance in the Versus, mending the rift between the two ‘worlds’ on Earth. Maybe by appealing to that passion, she could convince him?

He sighed. “What exactly is it you want me to do?”

“Watch her fight. And tell your colleagues to just consider her. I know that if she hears you say she has what it takes, she’ll apply.”

“Hmm.” He tapped his foot. “And if she fails? If she does not get accepted, what do you think she will do? Quit? Go back to the Socializer world? The Versus is not for these kinds of people. I am trying to achieve more opportunities for humans to represent their own planet, but I will be smart about it.” He patted Katelyn’s shoulder and headed out. “You will have to do better than that.”

“What if I bring her here?” She followed him. “What if I… have her fight in the bar? While you’re there?”

“Many flaws in that plan, girl. I do not plan to reveal myself, and a bar fight is hardly comparable to a real fight.”

“No, it’ll be… I know I can show you.” Her mind glitched as she tried to make sense of her plan, but it was falling apart fast. This opportunity had presented itself far too suddenly for her to think through her request.

Benson smirked. “I admire your persistence, but I am sorry. Your sister needs to prove herself. You cannot prove her for her.”

Katelyn inhaled. “Okay. Sorry to bother you, Mr. Kalley.” She turned, then stopped, hiding a smirk. “Thank you, though. This bar will have a lot more people coming when they know someone so famous-”

“Don’t you dare.” He stopped her, pointing at her seriously. “I will sue you.”

Katelyn shrugged. “My mom won Miss Milky Way twice in a row. We can afford it. Besides, even if you sue me, people will know you come here. I’ll take the fall.” Her stomach clenched with anxiety. She had to hope he’d fall for it. They had digits, but Jennifer would be so furious with Katelyn that she’d probably leave her in cache.

Benson clenched his jaw, clearly frustrated. Katelyn never thought she could get a Paeseoan so riled up. They were usually very calm and amiable. “So all you want is for me to watch your sister fight in a bar?” he asked.

“That’s right.”

He chuckled, partly from ridicule, and partly from incredulity. “Girl, you are a strange one.” He blew out his cheeks. “Alright, fine. You have it. I will return tomorrow at this same time. You best be here with your sister. She must show me what she can do, without your help. I will think about helping her into the second stage if she impresses me.”

“Thank you!” Katelyn jumped excitedly. “Thank you so much. I promise, she won’t let you down.”

“That is up to her.” He reactivated his Mask, finally fixing it, and left without another word.

===

“Katelyn Medley requesting to enter.”

Calista closed her broadcast editor, having finished her admissions broadcast for the school. Her head pounded after having worked all night on re-doing her portfolio until her mother had deemed it ‘decent’ enough to submit to the admissions board. Now, all that was left was the SociaLights channel showcase to display what the girls would do as professional Socializers. That was going to be uber-fun.

“Let her in.” She breathed out and leaned back in her hover-chair, grateful for a break. Katelyn was a welcome sight in the midst of the situation.

Her younger sister entered, seeming sheepish. “Hey…”

“Hey, what’s on the Hub?”

“Um…” She sat on Calista’s sleep capsule, kneading her hands. “I need to tell you something.”

“What?” Calista sat up, concerned.

“I have a… secret.”

Excitement lit up Calista’s emerald green eyes. “What is it? Is it a boy? Someone from the museum?”

“Yeah… but no. It’s something you cannot tell Mom and Dad.”

“Kate, I keep secrets all the time. You can trust me.”

“Okay.” The younger Medley girl blew her hair out of her face. “There’s a Socializer coming to where I work. I saw him yesterday. And I know you’re a huge fan, so… you want to come over and see him? I figured if you tell Mom you interacted with a pro, she could lay off a bit.”

Calista shrugged, nodding. “Good point. Who is it?”

“It’s, uh… Devon Arfi…”

“Arfimez?” She stood. “You serious? Devon Arfimez? At the museum? I thought he was a food kind of guy. He runs a cooking channel.”

“No, not at the museum.” She’d convinced her family that she’d gotten a paid internship at an architectural museum as a cover. Her middle child status kept her mother from investigating further to see if she was honest, but eventually, she would have to make up a lie and say she got laid off or something.

“Then where?”

“I don’t work at the museum,” Katelyn confessed.

Calista’s thick brows quirked. “Wait, what?”

“This is the secret part. I work at a bar on Genesis X.” She winced, waiting for the scolding older sister rant. “I couldn’t get a job at the museum last year because I needed a higher degree. I lied about it. I registered, but that was just for a part-time job that I honestly hate, so I just left my name in there so Mom and Dad wouldn’t ask any questions, and I have a fake name I use for Genesis because I’m underage-”

“Wait-wait-wait.” Calista stopped her, pursing her painted lips. “You mean to tell me… that since last year… you’ve been working at a bar on Genesis X?! The space station?”

“An… illegal bar.”

“WHAT?! ARE YOU GLITCHING CRAZY?! WHAT THE GLITCH ARE YOU THINKING-”

“If you don’t shut up, I won’t take you to see Devon!”

Silence. Calista’s face had turned pink, her fingers flexing as she tried to calm down. “Why would he go to a bar like that?” she wondered.

“I don’t know, but I know it was him. I talked to him… a-about you.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, I told him about the SociaLights, and everything. I know he’s a guy, so he won’t be at your school, but maybe if he gives you a shoutout on his channel, you’ll impress people more.”

“Yeah, that would be amazing!” Calista’s cheeks glowed. “I should tell the girls.”

“NO!” Katelyn stood, gripping her sister’s shoulders. “I told you. It’s a secret. Our parents can’t know. This is the only way I’ll save up for design school somewhere else and I can move out when I’m eighteen. Please.”

Calista’s face softened at the desperation in her younger sister’s eyes. She smiled and kissed her cheek. “I promise. But isn’t there any other way you can save up? Somewhere safer…”

Katelyn shook her head. “Trust me, I tried. But we’ll talk about it later. I’m going to work right now, and Devon’s only coming tomorrow. This is your chance to network.” Seeing the look of fear and doubt on Calista’s face, she quickly added, “I promise you’ll be safe. You can wear a Mask or something. I have a couple.”

“If we get recognized-”

“We won’t. I promise.”

Calista looked down at herself and rushed to her closet, tapping on various outfits. “What should I wear?”

“Nothing too fancy. Something casual. Preferably something you can move okay in… I don’t want to scare you, but Genesis X is pretty crazy.”

“You’re telling me.” She finally settled for a hot pink leotard and long, purple tights. Her long, nylon black hair was raised into a high ponytail. “This work?”

“…That’s perfect, actually.”

===

Upon entering the hidden bar, Calista’s paranoia was jacked up to 11. She’d shrunken in her barstool, her legs pulled up to her chest, and her now-purple eyes constantly glanced around with fear. Many strong, intimidating species were around; hot-tempered Hajjians, proud Voraxians, stone-skinned Mercurians. Hajjians were the worst, notorious for their tempers, powerful fire abilities, and incomparable strength.

Katelyn served a customer, dressed in her Mearthian Mask, as calm as could be. How could she be? Did she really work in this environment for a year already? It was no wonder she’d looked so shaken up after her first day at the ‘museum’; they’d all assumed she was overwhelmed at having a non-virtual job.

“What time was he here yesterday?” Calista asked her sister, constantly re-checking her Mask to ensure it was working. She was disguised as a Paesmartian; half-Martian and half-Paeseoan. Mixed species were common on space stations.

“Around noon. There’s still time.” It was currently 11:30.

“Are you sure he’s coming?”

“I… I’m sure.”

“You hesitated.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did!”

“Shh!” Katelyn glanced at the other patrons, lowering her voice. “If they see someone riled up, they’ll want to see a fight, and if they don’t get one, they start it.”

Another customer came in, wearing a cloak and a slightly faulty Mask. A lot of the patrons concealed their identities. Were they escaped convicts? That was what the space stations were known for. Calista shuddered at the thought.

Katelyn picked her fake, red hair up into a bun, fanning herself. “It’s hot in here,” she muttered. She suddenly froze, staring off to the side. “Uh-oh.”

“What?” Calista followed her gaze. She was staring at a group of customers looking at them. “What is it?”

“Um…” Katelyn fiddled with her uniform apron. “Nothing.”

“What? Tell me.”

“There’s just some people here that… don’t really like me.”

Calista glanced back at the group. “Who, them?”

“Don’t make it so obvious,” Cat said discreetly, fake-smiling.

“Who are they?”

“No one. Just some people that I had a run-in a few months ago.”

“A what?!”

One of the group members stood up— a Martian man with neon green hair. Against his gray skin, it was quite blinding. He sauntered over to the counter, leaning on the surface. “Crockett. Long time no see.”

Katelyn ignored him, turning to another customer and taking their order. “It’s rude to ignore a customer, you know,” the man continued. “I wanted a good Jovin beer.”

Katelyn sighed and silently generated his order. He smirked, taking his mug, and turned to his group. “Hey, everyone, look who it is!”

The girl closed her eyes with dread. “Here we go.”

“Ka- Seema, who are they?” Calista’s guard rose as the entire group surrounded the two, all of them wearing smiles she didn’t like at all.

“Ah, the little girl.” A Mercearthian woman chuckled. “Look how shy she is. Strange. Last time we saw you, you were quite… vocal.”

“Irritatingly vocal,” a Mearthian man added.

“What happened to that spunk?”

“Shut it, Scaaskal.”

“There it is.” Scaaskal stepped into her place behind the counter, nudging her away from the order screen. “We have unfinished business, don’t we?”

“Hey.” Calista stood. “Who are you guys?”

“Stay out of it, girl.” The Mercearthian woman judgingly looked at Calista’s outfit. It probably looked more ridiculous with the Mask she had on; Paeseoans tended to have brightly-colored skin, even when mixed with other races. “What are you supposed to be, a Socializer?”

Calista hesitated, turning red. The woman chuckled, realizing she’d hit the right code. “A Socializer in Cosmos?” another Martian man laughed, this one with blue hair. “Who would’ve thought?”

“I thought only humans were Socializers.” Scaaskal nudged Katelyn’s shoulder, a bit harshly. “I’m not surprised you’re friends with the likes of her.”

“Hey, back off.” Calista walked around the counter, getting between Scaaskal and Katelyn.

“The Socializer being tough? Wow.” He glanced at his friends.

“How cute. She should give you fashion tips,” the other Martian man taunted.

“Alright, out of the way, princess.” Scaaskal tried to push Calista aside, but the girl stood her ground, planting herself in front of her sister.

“Leave her alone,” Calista said. She was scared to death, her stomach whirling like a sky-coaster, and her limbs turning to jelly. These people were probably criminals. But she would rather die than let them touch her little sister.

“Holly… just leave it. It’s fine,” Katelyn said quietly, clearly intimidated. ‘Holly’ was Calista’s alias for the day.

“Get out of the way, or I’ll get you out of my way,” Scaaskal loomed over her like a monolith. Her heart rate increased as she stared into his marble-like black eyes, leaning back, but she didn’t move. He smirked and glanced at his group, nodding.

Calista gasped when the other three grabbed her arms and yanked her over the counter, throwing her to the floor. Scaaskal grabbed Katelyn’s arm, also shoving her down.

“No!” Calista tried to run to her sister, but the Mercearthian woman grabbed her ponytail, forcing her away. She struggled, trying to pry herself out of the three pairs of strong hands.

In horror, she watched as Scaaskal pinned Katelyn down and raised his fist, aiming at her face. The 16-year old girl closed her eyes, awaiting the blow.

“NO!” She thrust her heel up, landing it between one of the men’s legs. As he groaned and fell to the floor with his friend, Calista shot her elbow up, hitting the woman’s face. She rushed forward, shoving Scaaskal to the floor and falling with him.

A crowd formed around the group, cheers and yells filling the bar as Scaaskal rose with anger in his eyes. He grabbed Calista by the throat with a growl. Gripping his arms, she pulled his elbows down, shooting her own elbow into his chin. The impact hurt her immensely, but it got her out of the choke hold.

She turned to the two approaching attackers, kicking one— again, in the nuts— and punching the other in the face. She cried out, holding her fist in pain. It had been years since she’d punched anything.

The Mearthian man’s arms locked around her from behind, holding her steady as Scaaskal approached. Katelyn stood, running to him, but one of the others held her back. “Get away from her!” she screamed, disappearing into Calista’s peripheral vision.

Scaaskal smirked, saying something in a Martian language, and shot his fist at Calista. If there was one thing she wouldn’t let them damage, it was her face. No one touched her face. Her mother would kill her.

She leaned to the side, letting his fist collide with his friend’s face instead. Her enemy still kept a firm grip on her, so she lifted her feet up and kicked Scaaskal away, the momentum sending them crashing against the wall. The man groaned, finally letting go of Calista.

She ran to Katelyn, who struggled against the woman, and kicked the Mercearthian’s knee. She pulled her younger sister out of the clawing grip and bolted to the door with her. “Let’s get the glitch out of here.”

They ran from the bar, through the Studitorium, through the atrium. “Cali, wait!” She felt Katelyn stumble behind her, but she didn’t stop until they reached the launcher spheres.

She shoved Katelyn inside and hurriedly entered their neighborhood’s launcher address. “Take us back, take us back, take us back-”

“Whoa, whoa! Slow down!” Katelyn took Calista’s hands. “Calm down.”

“They’re gonna get us if we-”

“SECURE will take care of them. Just calm down.” Katelyn breathed with her, managing to dissuade her panic a bit. “You… Cali, that was… that was amazing.”

“Amazing? That was uber-crazy! Who were those guys? Why did they want to beat you up? Has this happened before? How many-”

“Whoa, stop sounding like Dad!”

“You need to find another job! That was uber-dangerous!”

“Stop saying uber…” Katelyn cringed.

“Whatever. Just don’t work there anymore! I’m serious!”

“But- Cali, don’t you realize what you did? You beat the bugs out of them!”

“I…” Calista paused. “I just… I just escaped. It’s not a big deal. I just didn’t want them to hurt you.” She softly caressed her younger sister’s cheek. For just a second, she saw more youth in her face, taking her back to when they were children. They were barely two years apart, and yet…

She looked at her knuckles, finding a small bruise forming. As the adrenaline rush faded, aches started appearing around her body. She cringed at the thought of her mother finding out. She needed to heal her bruises as soon as possible before Jennifer saw them. Thank God her face was untouched.

She sighed and launched the sphere, taking them back to Earth. “Never go back there again. Understand?”

“Okay.”